ChatGPT was the world’s most downloaded app last month

ChatGPT’s growth keeps hitting new heights, including last month earning the honor of top downloaded app (not game) in the world per Appfigures—no doubt thanks to Studio Ghibli.

ChatGPT tops global app charts, in part thanks to iOS success

When it comes to the most downloaded apps in the world, the top of the pack is usually fairly predictable.

TikTok and Instagram tend to go back and forth in the one and two slots.

But in March, no doubt fueled by the launch of 4o image generation and the viral Ghibli-style crazy that followed, ChatGPT claimed the top spot.

Per a new Appfigures report, download numbers for apps (games are excluded) looked like this:

ChatGPT: 46 million downloads (13M on iOS, 33M on Android)
Instagram: 46 million downloads (5M on iOS, 41M on Android)
TikTok: 45 million downloads (8M on iOS, 37M on Android)

Ultimately, it was ChatGPT’s dominance on the iPhone’s App Store charts that helped it squeak across the finish line with a narrow victory.

Even though most of its downloads came from Android, the AI app had a big advantage on iOS over both TikTok and Instagram.

ChatGPT was the top app in Apple’s App Store, while TikTok was only number six—Instagram didn’t even make the top 10.

9to5Mac’s Take

I can’t help but think about the contrast between ChatGPT’s viral image success and the seemingly little impact Apple’s Image Playground app has had.

Ethical issues around AI-generated art are well worth discussing, especially as relates to ChatGPT’s skyrocketing adoption. But as someone who covers Apple for a living, I wonder how much the company is kicking itself over OpenAI’s recent success.

Are you surprised ChatGPT was the number one app last month, or not so much? Let us know in the comments.